Ferris Fain
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| Ferris Fain | |
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| First Baseman | |
| Born: March 29, 1921 San Antonio, Texas |
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| Died: October 18, 2001 (aged 80) Georgetown, California |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1947 for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 1955 for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .290 |
| Hits | 1139 |
| Runs batted in | 570 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Ferris Roy Fain (March 29, 1921 – October 18, 2001) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for nine seasons in the American League with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. Nicknamed the Burrhead, he appeared in 1,151 career games.
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[edit] Early life
Ferris Fain was born in San Antonio, Texas and grew up in Oakland, California.[1] From 1939 through 1946 he was with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League; he missed three seasons, 1943–45, owing to military service.
[edit] Career
Coming to the majors in 1947, the lefty was a top prospect and had 461 at bats in his rookie season, playing full-time. That year, he batted a solid .291 with 7 home runs and 71 RBIs. Two years later in 1949 he turned 194 double plays while playing for the then-Philadelphia A's, still a Major League record.
Fain broke through in 1951 batting .344 with 6 homers and 57 RBIs, although a broken foot held him to 425 at-bats. That year and the following, he finished sixth in Most Valuable Player Award voting. Yogi Berra won in '51 and A's teammate Bobby Shantz took the prize in 1952. Fain was the league batting champion in both seasons. But he was gone to the Chicago White Sox by 1953.
Known for a hot temper on the field, Fain had an off-year in '53 after getting into a brawl in a Maryland café with White Sox fans. Fain was fined $600 by the White Sox, then sued for $50,000. After suffering a knee injury the following year, he never really got back on track. But on June 16, 1954, he did hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
Fain finished with an on-base percentage of over .400 every full year that he played, and was in the top 10 in that category seven times in his career; he ranked in the top 10 in walks eight times. His ability to get on base helped make him an All-Star five straight times (1950–54).
In a nine-season career, he hit .290 with 48 home runs and 570 RBIs. He had 213 career doubles and a career .424 on-base percentage. He totalled 1139 career hits in 3930 at bats. Not least of all, Fain was regarded by some as the best fielding first baseman in the majors until Vic Power showed up to play Fain's old position for the A's.
[edit] Later life
Fain became a custom home builder in Georgetown, California, in the 1970s. In 1985, he was charged with growing marijuana and sentenced to four months' house arrest. In 1988, he was charged again with growing marijuana and was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. Fain said, "I knew how to grow the stuff. I was as adept at it as I was in playing baseball."[1]
Ferris Fain died October 18, 2001 in Georgetown of complications from leukemia and diabetes. He was 80 years old.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (October 27, 2001). "Ferris Fain, A.L. Batting Champion in 1950's, Dies at 80". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803EED81131F934A15753C1A9679C8B63.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Ferris Fain at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Billy Goodman |
American League Batting Champion 1951-1952 |
Succeeded by Mickey Vernon |
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